Summary
Summary PSY1005S Exam Notes: Conciousness
- Course
- Institution
summary of conciousness section of psy1005s summary made from textbook , but also includes lecture notes
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
byrondevin
Reviews received
Content preview
CONSCIOUSNESSNOTES
,The Puzzle of Consciousness
What is consciousness?
Moment-to-Moment Awareness
o External & Internal Stimuli
Dynamic
o Constantly shifting & changing
Self-reflective
o Central to our sense of self
Subjective & Personal
o Problematic construct
Why do we have consciousness?
Allows us to
o Make sense of stimuli being experienced
Facilitates planning & decision making
o Take control of situations
Override automatic, potentially dangerous behaviours
o Deal with unusual situations & tasks
How do we measure consciousness?
Self-Report Measures
Ask people to describe their inner experiences
Problematic for research
Behavioural Measures
Record performance on special tests
o Glasgow Coma Scale
o The Mirror Test
Physiological Measures
Establish connection between bodily processes & mental states
o Electroencephalograph measures brain activity
,Levels of consciousness
Freudian Viewpoint
Tip of the iceberg= Conscious Level
Cognitive Viewpoint
Conscious & unconscious mental life are complimentary forms of
information processing
o work in harmony
Selective Attention
Focussing awareness on some stimuli while ignoring others
Fundamental component of consciousness
Controlled (conscious/explicit) Processing
Conscious use of attention
Slower & more flexible
o Automatic (unconscious/implicit) Processing
Used in activities performed without awareness / effort
Fast & routine action
Divided Attention
Attending to more than one activity at a time
,Unconscious perception
Visual Agnosia
Inability to recognise objects visually
Blindsight
Occurs when an individual is blind
o But can still respond to stimuli
Priming
Exposure to a stimulus influences responses to subsequent stimuli
o Subliminal stimuli
Emotional Unconscious
Emotional & motivational processes operate unconsciously
o Influences behaviour
Neural bases of consciousness
No single brain region is responsible
Consciousness is a global workspace
o Represents the unified activity of multiple brain areas
Extended Reticular Thalamic Activating System (RAS)
o 1950s – Damage to this system leads to a comatose state
o Present in all vertebrates
Dogs
Lizards
Snakes
o Not present in bees, ants, jellyfish
o Part of brainstem
Generally brainstem is NB for consciousness
,Circadian Rhythms
24-hour biological clock
o Normally regulated by light & dark
Controls
o Body temperature
o Hormones
o Other bodily functions
Regulated by the Suprachiasmatic Nuclei (SCN)
o In hypothalamus
o Obtains information about light through the eye
o SCN Pineal Gland Melatonin
o Active during the day
Reduced melatonin
o Inactive at night
Increased melatonin
Circadian Disruptions
Jet Lag
Acute exposure to circadian desynchronisation
Flying across time zones
o Exposes one to a new light-dark cycle
o Biological clock keeps time
“Official” clock time changes
o Big problem for people who do it often
Symptoms
o Headaches
o Fatigue
o Insomnia
o constipation/diarrhoea
o concentration problems
o mood disturbances
Travelling west is easier
o can adapt by staying up late
Night Shifts
Chronic exposure to circadian desynchronisation
Work in opposition to natural sleep-wake cycle
o May lead to poor quality sleep
o May lead to social disruptions
Can cause
o Fatigue
o Stress
o Accidents
, Seasonal Affective Disorder
Cyclic tendency to become depressed during certain seasons
o Usually autumn & winter
o Throughout rest of year people are mentally healthy
Same symptoms as a depression
o Considered a mood disorder
o Light Therapy used as treatment
First described by someone who moved from “sunny” South Africa to New
York
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller byrondevin. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $6.83. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
67474 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now